Iraq on brink of civil warIraq is on the brink of civil war, Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa said yesterday, a week before the country holds a landmark referendum on a draft constitution.

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2 Hundi traders held with Tk 58 lakhTwo alleged hundi traders carrying Tk 58 lakh in a land cruiser from Jessore were arrested here yesterday.The arrestees claimed that they were innocent and the money was legal.

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No CGS in army for last 3 monthsThe post of chief of general staff (CGS), the second highest official after the chief of staff in the army, has remained vacant for over three months and a half while the government is still looking for

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Major quakes in South AsiaLarge parts of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan are seismically active because underneath them, the Indian plate is pushing north into the Eurasian plate.

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Dhaka shocked at quake lossPresident Iajuddin Ahmed, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed deep shock at the loss of life and property caused by a powerful earthquake that shook different

20 hurt in BNP infightingAt least 20 people were injured, two by bullets, as the ruling-BNP factions clashed at Dafadarpara village in Daulotpur upazila on Friday night.

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Bush, Blair like NazisPresident George W Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair acted much like Nazi war criminals in ordering the invasion of Iraq, the United Nations' former chief weapons inspector to the country said on Friday.

Bali death toll rises as key suspect escapesPolice questioned more witnesses in the Bali backpack bombings yesterday after narrowly failing to capture a key suspect in a series of blasts in Indonesia over the past several years.

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Genes determine sweet dreamsHow well you sleep could depend on who your parents were, researchers at Switzerland's Lausanne University reported on Thursday after identifying for the first time a "normal sleep" gene among mice.

Political stability key to wooing investmentHe is among the very few, who believes that Bangladesh will benefit from the quota free regime but he says the country should maintain political stability to attract more investment.

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Mittal Steel to invest $9b in eastern Indian stateThe world's largest steelmaker, Mittal Steel, signed an agreement Saturday to invest 400 billion rupees (nine billion dollars) in a steel project with India's Jharkhand state, a company statement said.

Malaysian Islamic bank reports $220m lossesMalaysia's oldest Islamic banking group Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB) reported a total loss of nearly RM500 million (S$224 million) Friday, one of the biggest for local banks in recent years.

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Delphi set to file for bankruptcyDelphi Corp is expected to file for bankruptcy in a New York court on Saturday, a source familiar with the situation said on Friday.

US to push for open trade at G20 meetThe United States will push for trade liberalisation and highlight problems caused by sky-high energy prices when the Group of 20 developing and rich nations meet in China, an official said Friday.

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US poverty chronically ill, little hope for cureFour decades after a US president declared war on poverty, more than 37 million people in the world's richest country are officially classified as poor and their number has been on the rise for years.

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ROK economic zones not so free yetKorea's successful evolution into a truly international nation hinges on the outcome of the country's free economic zones that are not quite on a par with its rivals said an ambassador-turned-advisor.

StanChart opens cash booth at IDB BhabanStandard Chartered Bank (SCB) has opened a new specialised UN cash booth at IDB Bhaban in Dhaka, marking the successful conversion of American Express Bank Ltd's license to that of SCB following the latter's

Cricket:No more delaying CCLThe organisers are adamant to start the domestic cricket on schedule despite Saturday's heavy rain that damaged the outfield of six venues prepared for holding matches of the Corporate Cricket League(CCL).

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Cricket:World's last chanceThe misfiring World XI will have to force a win in the final one-day international XI to prevent a 3-0 series whitewash by Australia here on Sunday.

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Cricket:Wright sees nothing wrongWorld XI coach John Wright defended the concept of the best cricket team versus the rest of the world in the face of two heavy one-day defeats by his team against Australia.

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Cricket:Wounds have healed: SymondsAndrew Symonds believes Australia have tended to their wounded pride with victory in the Super Series one-dayers.

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Cricket:Mahmud clarifies quit storyA day after it was reported that former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud had announced his retirement, it caused widespread confusion in cricketing circles.But player himself dismissed it as speculation.

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Chess:Reeefat's streak continuesInternational Master Reefat Bin Sattar continued his winning run to share the lead in the Fifth Asian Individual Chess Championship at the end of the second round in Hyderabad, India on Friday.

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Tennis:Tatiana ends Sania’s dream runFrench teen sensation Tatiana Golovin earned a spot in the final of the Japan Open on Saturday, defeating India's rising star Sania Mirza to set up a rematch in Tokyo with 16-year-old Czech Nicole Vaidisova.

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Cricket:Tait could be back soonAustralia pace bowler Shaun Tait has undergone surgery on his right shoulder and could be back playing sooner than expected, Cricket Australia said on Friday.

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Cricket:WC payout for Kenyan playersKenya's cricket players were given a morale boost ahead of their Intercontinental Cup semifinals in Namibia by receiving bonuses from the 2003 World Cup.

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Football:Becks steps down as penalty-takerSven-Goran Eriks-son has praised the decision of England captain David Beckham to step down as penalty-taker in an attempt to boost their World Cup qualification hopes.

Football:Unsporting Real?Real Madrid are deliberately trying to pressurise the referee ahead of next week´s city derby and are in danger of provoking violence by their unprecedented attack on his impartiality say Atletico Madrid.

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Football:'Let our football do the talking’Chelsea's success has created jealousy amongst rival teams, says Frank Lampard, and he has advised teammates to answer their critics with good form on the pitch rather than words off it.

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Hockey:Australia retain Indira Gold Cup hockeyIndia eves succumbed to pressure in the tie breaker as defending champions Australia ran away with the title for second time on the trot defeating hosts India 5-3 in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup Women's

Cricket:Gilchrist unaware of record tonAdam Gilchrist was blissfully unaware he had scored the fastest century by an Australian in a one-day cricket international as he powered Australia to victory over the World XI here.

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Football:Special one branded Jose Mourinho calls himself special while his critics call him a big head but whatever the label he is now set to become a national trademark.

‘Stop violence against indigenous people’Protesting army repression on the ethnic minority groups in Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), Hill Women's Federation (HWF) placed a four-point demand at a press conference at the National Press Club in the

'Arrest those involved in vandalising idols’Different political and social organisations yesterday strongly protested the incidents of vandalising idols at three puja mandaps (altars) in Khulna, Faridpur and Jessore and the attack on the Chatteshwari

Hasina condoles death of AL leaderLeader of the Opposition in Parliament Sheikh Hasina yesterday condoled the death of Mohammed Belayet Hossain, Vice-President of Jhalakathi district Awami League and former chairman of Jhalkathi pourashabha.

World Postal Day todayThe World Postal Day will be observed in the country as elsewhere across the globe today.This year's theme is World Postal Network Reaching Everyone and Everywhere.

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Aga Khan honouredAga Khan, Imam of the Ismaili Muslims and founder of the Aga Khan Development Network, has been awarded the Die Quadriga prize in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the welfare of the peoplein

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FFs to form human chain October 22Freedom fighters will form a human chain on October 22 protesting instability and deterioration of law and order situation in the country.

Diarrhoea, pneumonia trail floods in SirajganjDiarrhoea and pneumonia have broken out in large scale nine upazilas of Sirajganj following recession of flood waters.The diseases claimed seven lives and affected over 1000 people in last fivedays.

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The fake doctor does it againA fake doctor, released on bail in a case for cheating patients, has been found forging signatures of two government doctors to run his clinic in Satkhira town.

Appoint district judges in CHTLawyers from Khagrachhari, Bandarban and Rangamati at a joint meeting here yesterday demanded immediate appointment of District and Daira Judges in the three hill districts.

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Bomb recovered from RU stadiumA bomb was recovered from the main entrance of Rajshahi University stadium yesterday.A cleaner saw a small container wrapped with red tape and informed its Director Fazlur Rahman, who informed police.

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5 units idle at AshuganjFive out of eight units at Ashuganj power station are inoperative, reducing power generation to 328 MW from 728 MW.

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Manikganj AL leader arrestedAn Awami League (AL) leader was arrested from his Shibbari residence in the town on charge of criminal activities in the early hours of Friday.

An anatomy of lawmakers' salary increasesFor the second time in two years, on September 18 and 19, the powerful elites voted themselves a lavish and generous increase in perks and privileges retrospective from January 1.

The problem with neo-liberalismIt is sad enough that Bangladesh is ranked one of the worst countries in terms of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the UN in 2000 to eradicate poverty, hunger, illiteracy, gender

Dhaka condemns all forms of terrorismAmbassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations Dr Iftekhar Chowdhury has said "Bangladesh condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

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Iraq announces new security measuresThe Iraqi government yesterday announced plans to clamp down with security measures including a curfew, weapons ban and a closure of the borders ahead of next week's constitutional referendum as Sunni

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Sisimpur selected as finalistSisimpur, an educational television series for children, has been selected as a finalist in the 'early education' category of the prestigious Japan Prize.

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Lightning kills four in Manikganj, GaibandhaFour people were killed by lightning in Gaibandha and Manikganj yesterday. Two people, including a school student, were killed by lightning at Bengrui village under Sadar upazila.

Foreign troops to stay in Iraq another two yearsForeign troops in Iraq might be replaced within two years, depending on how fast the country's own troops can provide security, as signs emerged that the insurgency is suffering internal woes, US andIraqi

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India boosts security along Nepal borderIndia has doubled the number of troops on its porous border with Nepal to stop the deadly Maoist insurgency in the Himalayan kingdom from spilling over, India's junior home minister said on Friday.

Editorial:PM's resolve welcomeIt is heartening to note that the Prime Minister has sent out a strong message to the extremists saying that the perpetrators of the recent bomb blasts will not escape justice.

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Editorial:Peace prize sends the right messageThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Egyptian Director General Mohamed ElBaradei have been awarded the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize for their 'significant' contribution to nuclear nonproliferation

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The American frontierWhen Tarzan of the Apes declared to Jane that he had "come across the ages and distant past from the lair of the primeval man to claim you, and for your sake I have become a civilised man," he was, perhaps,

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Saarc needs greater interactions in new phaseThe South Asian Association for Regional development (Saarc) is set for its 13th summit in Bangladesh capital Dhaka on November 12 and 13 and the leaders are expected to discuss issues pertaining to strengthening

"Joy Bangla"The declaration of the founder of Pakistan of Mohammad Ali Jinnah that "Urdu and Urdu shall be the state language of Pakistan" sparked the flame of independence and we achieved that.

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Food terrorismI am very much pleased to observe that the government has waged war against "Food Terrorism.

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Make parliament effectiveOur government always says that it wants to make the parliament an effective forum by ensuring the opposition's participation. But this is nothing but rhetoric, which has no practical value.

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Pre-paid gasGas is a valuable asset of Bangladesh, which will of course not be available on a permanent basis.

The cancer most women suffer in silenceMousumi (not a real name) kept finding excuses for not going to see a doctor. What began as rash on the skin of the breast eventually progressed to a lump in the breast.

A healthy weight a healthy shapeOn a recent visit to Bangladesh I noticed the numerous Fitness Centers, Gyms, Slimming Centers and I thought to myself "surely there could not be much of a clientele for these establishments.

BRTC plans for the disabledTo encourage the disabled citizens to use public transports, Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTC) has decided to offer them service at half of its of normal bus fare rate.